System and method for providing short message targeted advertisements over a wireless communications network

ABSTRACT

A method and system for providing targeted advertisement information to consumers over a wireless communications network. In one embodiment, local advertisers register to advertise on certain wireless communications devices that are in close proximity to the advertiser. As a consumer enters a cell site that is near the location of the advertiser, the wireless network delivers a message to the wireless device that is specified by the local advertiser. An acknowledgement signal is then received by the network, and the local advertiser&#39;s account is charged for transmission of the advertisement. In a further embodiment, each of the messages stored in the database is also associated with one or more demographic codes, and users of wireless communications device select from one more demographic codes to describer their advertisement preferences. Messages to be transmitted to particular wireless communications devices are selected based upon both the location information and the demographics codes that are associated with the messages.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to wireless communicationstechnologies, and more particularly, to a method and system forproviding targeted advertisements to consumers through wirelesscommunications devices.

2. Background of the Invention

As wireless communications technology continues to improve and become amore affordable, the general public is becoming increasingly dependentupon wireless communications devices to communicate with others whenconventional land line telephones are unavailable. Whether throughcellular telephones, interactive pages, network ed personal digitalassistants, or other such devices, users can communicate with others byvoice or e-mail from virtually any location. As a result, many users arealmost always accessible, even while driving or shopping.

As is generally known, wireless communications devices communicatethrough a network of cells covering geographical areas, each having abase station for transmitting and receiving messages to and fromcellular communications devices within a respective cell region. Aplurality of base stations are connected to a Mobile Telephone SwitchingOffice (MgSO), which acts as a controller for the cellular system. TheMTSO is also connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)to allow communications between cellular devices and landline telephonesor computer systems.

Wireless networks generally utilize an autonomous registration system totrack the location and status of the wireless devices that can operateon the network. The identification information typically informs thesystem where the wireless device is located in the system, so that thewireless device can be subsequently paged when receiving a call orsignal. Wireless devices communicate with the network over dedicatedcontrol channels to transmit registration information and to receivepages and other signaling information. For example, when a cellulartelephone user receives a call, the network first sends a page to thecellular site where the target cellular telephone was last registered.The signal is then broadcast throughout the cell site over a controlchannel. If the target wireless device is within the expected area, theuser responds to the page (e.g., a ringing or vibrating signal) to begincommunicating with the caller over a pair of voice channels allocatedfor the communication. If the target wireless device is not locatedwithin the expected area, the network may broadcast signal informationover control channels in surrounding cell sites or regions to locate thedevice. The particular implementation of a registration system for awireless network is generally designed such that the network can quicklyand efficiently locate the targeted wireless devices. One technique forperforming autonomous registration is described in U.S. Pat. No.4,775,999, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Recent technological advances in digital user interfaces have addedversatility to wireless communications devices by enabling users toaccess text and graphics information over the screen of the device. Forexample, most digital cellular telephones at a minimum display thecurrent time and date. Many cellular telephones also include personaltelephone number and address directories. It is not uncommon for digitalcellular telephones to also allow users to receive numeric pages andtext messages on the screen of the device. As more features andapplications converge into wireless communications devices, users areincreasingly relying upon such devices as an essential tool for bothpersonal organization and wireless communication.

Although wireless communications devices are used for voice-basedtelephone or text-based e-mail communications, it has not been known toeffectively utilize such devices to receive targeted consumeradvertisement information. Through media such as signs and billboards,television and radio advertisements, or newspaper coupons and flyers,consumers are continually subjected to different forms of advertisingand promotions of products and services throughout each day.Unfortunately, most advertising in these conventional formats isineffective, because the advertisements do not target persons who wouldbe likely to buy the product. For example, television, radio, ornewspaper advertising for a local diner or restaurant is unlikely to beof interest to persons who are not located reasonably close to theadvertised establishment. Many people are therefore unreceptive totraditional methods of advertising because it tends to be overinclusiveand irrelevant. Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system forproviding advertising that is relevant to the particular recipients ofthe advertisements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the difficulties described above, there is a need for amethod and system for providing targeted advertisement information toconsumers over a wireless communications network. In one embodiment,local advertisers register to advertise on certain wirelesscommunications devices that are in close proximity to the advertiser. Asa consumer enters a cell site that is near the location of theadvertiser, the wireless network delivers a message to the wirelessdevice that is specified by the local advertiser. An acknowledgementsignal is then received by the network, and the local advertiser'saccount is charged for transmission of the advertisement.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a methodfor transmitting a message over a wireless network to a wirelesscommunications device. A plurality of messages are stored in a database,wherein each stored message is associated with one or more locations.Location information of a wireless communications device is detected,and a message in the database associated with the detected location isselected and transmitted to the wireless communications device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method fortransmitting an advertisement over a wireless network to a wirelesscommunications device based upon location information and categorycodes. A plurality of advertisements are stored in an advertisementsdatabase, wherein each advertisement is requested to be transmitted towireless communications devices by a respective advertiser, and eachadvertisement is associated with one or more locations and one or morecategory codes. Information pertaining to a plurality of wirelesscommunications devices is stored in a devices database, wherein eachwireless communications device is associated with identification dataand one or more category codes. A list of advertisers requestingtransmission of advertisements stored in the advertisements database isstored in an advertisers database, wherein each advertiser is associatedwith advertiser account information. To perform the method,identification and location information of a wireless communicationsdevice is detected. An advertisement in the database that is associatedwith the detected location and is associated with at least one categorycode associated with the wireless communications device in the devicesdatabase is selected. The selected advertisement is transmitted, and theadvertiser account information of the advertiser requesting transmissionof the selected advertisement is updated.

As another object of the present invention is to provide a system fortransmitting messages over a wireless network to wireless communicationsdevices. The system comprises an advertisements queue for storing aplurality of advertisements requested to be transmitted to wirelesscommunications devices by respective advertisers, wherein eachadvertisement is associated with one or more locations. An advertisersdatabase stores a list of advertisers requesting transmission ofadvertisements stored in the advertisements queue, wherein eachadvertiser is associated with advertiser account information. Aprocessor receives location information of wireless communicationsdevices selecting advertisements in the advertisements queue associatedwith the location of the respective wireless communications devices. Atransmitter transmits the selected advertisements to the respectivewireless communications devices.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a system fortransmitting messages over a wireless network to a wirelesscommunications devices. An advertisements queue stores a plurality ofadvertisements requested to be transmitted to wireless communicationsdevices by respective advertisers, wherein each advertisement isassociated with one or more category codes. A users database stores useridentification information of wireless communications devices operatingon the wireless network, wherein the user identification informationincludes one or more category codes associated with preferences of therespective user. A processor receives user identification information ofa wireless communications device and selects an advertisement in theadvertisements queue associated with at least one category code in theuser identification information. A transmitter transmits the selectedadvertisement to the respective wireless communications device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a portion of a cellular network thatillustrates an example of the process of registration in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a table of events that illustrates the process ofregistration in accordance with the example of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the data transmitted over the forwardcontrol channel of a wireless network in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of a portion of mobile memory inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram of the information provided by a wirelesscommunications device over the reverse control channel duringregistration, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a flow diagram of a process of transmitting messages tonon-blocked wireless communications devices located in target cellsites, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a table of an advertisement queue in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a process for transmitting a message to awireless communications device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process for tracking and receivingacknowledgement information in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a system for generating andtransmitting messages over a wireless network, with a user interface forcreating messages, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a user interface and system for usersto provide preferences and register to receive messages over wirelesscommunications devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a wireless network advertising systemthat receives requests to transmit advertisement information to certainwireless communications devices that are located within a reasonableproximity to the advertiser. In this manner, the advertiser can targetadvertising to users who are likely to be interested in the advertisedproduct or service. Further, the advertiser can frequently change theadvertised message or offer or change the frequency by which theadvertisement is transmitted, thereby maximizing the effectiveness andcost associated with the advertisements. The advertising system cantrack the usage of the advertising system and charge the advertiserbased upon whether the advertisement is actually transmitted to users.In alternative embodiments, the advertiser can specify or the networkcan automatically determine which consumers should receive particularadvertisements, according to different categories associated with theadvertised product or service, and according to the demographics of thepotential recipients.

The present invention will now be described in more detail withreference to the figures. FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of anautomobile travelling through a portion of a cellular network, whichillustrates the process of registration in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. Automobile 11, containing a wirelesscommunications device or “mobile” 12, is travelling from cellular region10 c, through cellular region 10 a, and into cellular region 10 b, in awireless communications network. As will be described in further detailwith reference to FIG. 1B, while the automobile was located in cellularregion 10 c as indicated by event (1), the operator of the wirelesscommunications device 12 turns on the power to the mobile, and themobile then registers with the wireless network. The automobile thentravels into cellular region 10 a, as indicated by event (2). As theautomobile moves between cellular regions 10 a and 10 b, the mobile 12re-registers with the network, as indicated by event (3). Finally, theautomobile continues travelling within cellular region 10 b, asindicated by event (4).

I. Mobile Registration

Mobile registration permits calls to the mobile to be automaticallydelivered, even though the mobile may be moving between differentcellular regions in the wireless network. Autonomous registration iscontrolled by the wireless network system through certain informationtransmitted to the mobiles in the form of an “overhead message train”(OMT). As shown in FIG. 2A, the OMT is transmitted on the paging/accesschannels within the cellular regions, approximately once a second. TheOMT includes an overhead message having parameters 20 for System ID(SID), Register Home (REGH), Register Rome (REGR), and periodically alsocontains parameters 21 and 22 for Registration ID (REGID) andRegistration Increment (REGINCR). OMTs are broadcast via each of thecell towers in the different cellular regions throughout the network.Although it is possible for each cell tower to broadcast much of thesame data in the OMTs, the REGID in the OMT messages may be different indifferent cellular regions, as described in the example provided below.The mobiles located throughout the network that are in an idle modedetect the strongest respective OMT signal, which is often from theclosest cell tower, and subsequently perform internal checkingoperations according to the received OMT message and the data stored inthe mobile internal memory.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the memory 23 of each mobile contains a System ID(SID) parameter 24 to identify the cellular system upon which the mobileis operating, and a Next Registration (NXTREG) parameter 25 that is usedto determine when the mobile should re-register within the cellularsystem. Upon detecting the OMT, the mobile checks if the SID in the OMTmatches the stored SID, which indicates that the mobile is in the “home”mode. The mobile then checks the REGID value in the OMT, which isincremented regularly at each base site in the cellular system in arepeated cycle between zero and an upper limit. If the REGID received isgreater than or equal to the NXTREG in memory (REGID≧NXTREG), or if theREGID is less than or equal to (≦NXTREG−REGINCR−5), then the mobileperforms the step of re-registering with a nearby cell tower.

A mobile first scans a group of paging/access channels and selects thechannel with the strongest signal strength. The mobile then tunes to theselected paging/access channel. During registration, the mobile thenreads the REGINCR and the REGID from the OMT, adds these valuestogether, and stores the sum as the NXTREG in mobile memory(NXTREG=REGID+REGINCR).

As shown in FIG. 2C, a mobile transmits a data packet as part of theregistration process to provide its identification parameters to thesystem. These generally include the mobile electronic serial number(ESN) 27 in Hex, the associated telephone number or “mobileidentification number” (MIN) 26 in NPANXXXXXX form in Hex, the “StationClass Mark” (SCM) 28 in Hex, and the number of the cell in which theregistrating mobile was detected (not shown). This data record istransmitted over a control channel and received by the cell controlcircuitry 13 of FIG. 1A at a nearby cell tower, which is in turntransmitted via a cell/MTSO data link 14 to the MTSO 15.

Returning to the example provided in FIG. 1A, with reference to thetable of events in FIG. 1B, the mobile first performs a “power up”feature in cell region 10 c as indicated by event (1), after which themobile receives the OMT broadcast from cell tower 16 c. As shown in FIG.1B, the NXTREG value stored in mobile 12 is “900,” and the REGID andREGINCR received in the OMT from cell tower 16 c are “600” and “20,”respectively. Since REGID (“600”)≦NXTREG (“900”)−REGINCR (“20”)−5, it isapparent that the REGID has been incremented for a sufficient amount oftime and the counter has since cycled, or “turned over,” to trigger anew registration. In this instance, the mobile has been turned off for asufficient period of time such that the system cannot rely upon theprevious registration information to identify the mobile location.Therefore, the mobile provides its ESN, MIN, SCM, and cell IDinformation to the cellular system, and stores in mobile memory thereceived REGID (“600”)+REGINCR (“20”)=“620” as the new NXTREG value.

As the automobile 11 travels into cellular region 10 a, the mobile 12detects the OMT from cell tower 16 a as having the strongest signal. Asindicated by event (2) in FIGS. 1A and 1B, mobile 12 now compares thestored NXTREG value, “620,” with the received REGID, “602,” anddetermines that a re-registration is not necessary. As can be seen, celltowers 16 c and 16 a broadcast the same REGID in the respective OMTs,which has been incremented since event (1).

As the automobile travels between the border of cellular regions 10 aand 10 b, the mobile 12 now detects that the OMT from cell tower 16 b isstronger than that from cell tower 16 a. As indicated by event (3) inFIGS. 1A and 1B, mobile 12 now compares the stored NXTREG value, “620,”with the received REGID, “644,” and and determines that re-registrationis again required because REGID≧NXTREG. In this instance, the REGIDbroadcast from cell tower 16 b has been “skewed” to be different fromthe REGID of the neighboring cell towers 16 a and 16 c, forcing a newregistration process. The mobile again provides the ESN, MIN, SCM, andthe new cell site ID, and stores “644” as the NXTREG.

Finally, in event (4), the automobile continues to travel withincellular region 10b. The NXTREG stored in mobile 12, “664,” remainsgreater than the REGID broadcast in the OMT, and so the mobile 12refrains from re-registering while in the idle state.

As described and illustrated with reference to the above-identifiedfigures, a mobile can be forced to re-register upon entering certainparticular cell sites, where the cell tower has been configured tobroadcast a REGID in the OMT that is skewed by a certain amount from theREGID values in OMTs from neighboring cell towers. Upon receiving thisregistration information into the MTSO, cellular system can now identifythat certain, individually identifiable wireless communication deviceshave entered certain specified cell sites. By identifying and trackingthis information in one or more databases, the cellular system cantransmit messages or signals to certain of these devices upon anadvertiser's request.

Although the mobile registration method as described will enable acellular system to maintain a database of the relative location andmovement of certain wireless communication devices, other such methodsof identifying and tracking this information are considered to be withinthe scope of the present invention. Such methods for identifying andtracking the relative location and movement of certain wirelesscommunications devices include, but are not limited to, antennatriangulation and the provision and detection of global satellitepositioning (GPS) information.

II. Short Message Targeted Advertisements

As the MTSO forwards registration information to the cellular system, aprocess flow as illustrated in FIG. 3A is performed to deliver targetedadvertisement messages to certain mobiles.

In step 30, the cellular system receives registration information fromthe MTSO. At a minimum, this information must include the MIN, whichidentifies the particular mobile, and the cellsite ID. Based upon thecellsite ID provided in the received registration information, thesystem performs a search in a cellsite advertisement lookup table instep 31 to detect whether any advertisers have registered to sendadvertisements to mobiles entering the cellsite ID. If there are noavailable advertisements, the registration is ignored, in step 32, andthe process repeats. Otherwise, as an optional embodiment, the systemnext performs a search in a MIN account table in step 33 to detectwhether the subscriber who utilizes the mobile has blocked theadvertisement feature. It is foreseen that some customers will wish notto receive advertisements. For those subscribers who have blockedadvertisements, the registration is again ignored, in step 32, and theprocess repeats. If the MIN is not blocked, the system generates a shortadvertising message in step 34. The advertising message is thendelivered to the mobile in step 35.

If a plurality of advertisers have registered to deliver advertisementsto mobiles that register in the target cellsite ID, there are amultitude of methods possible for allocating which mobiles are toreceive which advertisements. As provided in a table in FIG. 3B, anumber of fields can be stored in a database according to each requestedadvertisement. Upon requesting transmission of advertisements, anadvertiser can specify the starting and ending dates for the promotion,the starting and ending time of day for generating the promotion, andthe total number of advertisements to be transmitted at given intervals.For example, a local restaurant may desire to send coupons to 100mobiles that are in the vicinity during the weekday lunch hour, for thefirst week of each month, for a six month period. A gas station may wishto send coupons to 200 mobiles that are in the same vicinity during themorning rush hour, for the first day of each week, for a one monthperiod. As shown in FIG. 3B, a target cell pointer will cycle throughthe advertisement requests in step 34 of FIG. 3A until it finds anappropriate advertisement request. When the next advertisement requestis received, the target cell pointer will continue cycling through theadvertisement requests from that point.

The message is delivered by transmission over a forward access/controlchannel that is directed to a particular MIN. In the same manner that acellular telephone receives a signal over a forward control channel to“ring” and announce a caller, a control channel signal may provide ashort audible indication of an incoming short message, followed by up to160 characters of information to be displayed as text across thegraphical user interface of the cellular telephone. As provided in FIG.4, the system in step 40 assembles a short message that is to bedelivered. The short message is then sent to short message deliverypoint to point to the point code (SMDPP) in step 41. An entry for thismessage is then created in a pending database in step 42, which tracksthe status of pending messages until they are deleted from the list asconfirmed and delivered messages or time-out failed deliveries. Finally,in step 43, a history log is updated to indicate that a short messagewas generated and placed in the pending database at a certain time forattempted delivery.

As shown in FIG. 5, the system scans through the pending database instep 50 and attempts to deliver the pending messages to the mobiles. Ifthe message is transmitted to a mobile over a forward control channel instep 51, and no corresponding acknowledgement is received over a reversecontrol channel, as determined in step 52, then the failed deliverystatus is recorded in the pending database in step 53. If it isdetermined in step 54 that the message remains pending after a “timeout” period, then the history log is updated to indicate a faileddelivery in step 55, and the record is deleted from the pending databasein step 56. The advertiser that requested delivery of the advertisementis not charged for delivery of the advertisement. When a correspondingacknowledgement is received over a reverse control channel in step 52, asuccessful delivery status is recorded, the record is deleted from thepending database in step 57, and the history log is updated to chargethe advertiser in step 58. Based upon this record, the advertiser'saccount is now charged for transmission of the advertisement in step 59.

III. Advertisers' Interface and Specifications

As described generally above, when an advertiser requests for the systemto transmit advertisement information to local mobiles, the advertisercan customize the advertising campaign according to the advertiser'spreferences. For example, the advertiser can specify whether the systemwill provide a text message, a text message with graphics, an audiomessage, a video message (when supported by the receiving wirelesscommunications devices), or a combination of any of these. Theadvertiser enters the local addresses of the advertised establishments(e.g., a furniture store may be in two locations), and the approximateradius at which mobiles can receive advertisements. Using a table, thesystem will then calculate the cellsite IDs upon which to register theadvertisement.

A variety of pricing arrangements can be devised according to the numberof advertisements that are generated and the frequency by whichadvertisements are transmitted. The advertiser may wish to transmit acertain number of advertisements during periodic intervals throughouteach day, during certain days of the week (e.g, weekends), duringcertain times of the day (e.g., lunch hour), during certain times of themonth (e.g., the last week of each month). The advertiser may also beable to specify a priority associated with the delivery of the messages.In certain areas, such cell sites surrounding shopping malls, it may beknown that a great number of advertisers may register with the serviceto transmit advertisements during peak times. An advertiser may wish topay a peak rate to receive priority in generating advertisements duringa specified peak time.

As also indicated above, the advertisements that are transmitted to thewireless communications devices may consist of promotional messages,coupons, or a combination of both. To increase the effectiveness of anadvertisement, an advertiser may wish for the system to receive anacknowledgement signal from the user of mobile that indicates whetherthe consumer desires to receive more of these messages or whether he isnot interested in the advertised product or service. As described in thenext section below, this information can then be stored as part of theconsumer's personal demographics file, which determines which consumersreceive which messages.

If the transmitted advertisement is a coupon, the consumer may also beenabled to respond to the network to redeem the coupon or directlycontact the establishment. Using a “mobile originate” system, the mobilecan originate a short message to the address in the network that sentthe message. This feature that currently exists in wireless SMStechnology allows a user to create a reply. Depending upon theparticular configuration of the wireless communications device, themobile could alternatively store the advertisement to either retrieve ata later time or to display to a merchandiser to redeem. Therefore, theconsumer can be prompted to “press ‘1’ to make a reservation, press ‘2’to save the message, or press ‘3’ to block future messages from theadvertiser.” If the user either makes a reservation or saves themessage, a signal can be transmitted back to the system, which will thensend a notification to the advertiser that a particular coupon, sent ata particular time and having a coupon ID number, may or will be redeemedby the recipient.

To facilitate registration of an advertiser's requested advertisement orcommercial information, the system can further include an Internetwebsite interface that is accessible by advertisers to generateadvertisement requests, edit advertisement messages in real time, andreview account information. Upon setting up an account with the wirelessadvertising system, providing a corporate name, location, and paymentinformation, a unique account number, user name, and password will beassigned. Upon subsequent access to the website, the advertiser can viewthe status of existing advertisement campaigns, edit the message orcoupon that is to be transmitted, edit the delivery options (e.g., startand end times, interval, etc.), or create new advertising campaigns. Theadvertiser can also review account information, including a history ofmessage delivery and status information, and can review couponredemption notifications from consumers and reservation requests. As afull service website, the advertiser can also perform standarde-commerce activities, such as authorizing payments. In addition toreceiving coupon redemption notifications over the website, the systemcan be configured to transmit this information in real time to theadvertiser's standard email account, or through SMS delivery to theadvertiser's wireless communications system.

FIG. 6 provides a schematic diagram of the message delivery processorsand databases and the advertiser interface according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. Upon receiving registration information from amobile via one of cell control 60 a, 60 b, or 60 c, the information istransmitted via a cell control/MTSO link to MTSO 61. Detector 62 detectsthat the information provided to the MTSO 61 contains registrationinformation, extracts the cell site ID and the MIN, and forwards thisinformation to the Registration Messaging Processor 63. Registrationprocessor 63 checks Target Cell Site ID db 64 to determine whether thecell site ID in which a registration occurred is a target cell site forwhich an advertiser requested transmission of an advertisement. If thereare advertisements to be transmitted to mobiles located within that cellsite ID, the Registration Messaging Processor 63 retrieves theappropriate advertisement information from the Advertisement Queue 65.The advertisement information from the queue is then forwarded to theMessage Generator/Transmitter 66. As an optional feature, the MINdatabase 67 is accessed to confirm that the mobile user has notrequested to block messages to this mobile. The message is thengenerated through the MTSO 61 to the appropriate cell control, to thedesignated mobile.

If the message is received by the intended mobile, an acknowledgementsignal is automatically generated over the reverse control channel,which is transmitted to the MTSO 61 to the Acknowledgement Processor 68.The Acknowledgement Processor notifies the Registration MessagingProcessor 63 to stop sending the message to the intended mobile. Anacknowledgement signal is also communicated both to the AdvertisementQueue 65, to advance the queue to a new message for the nextregistration, and to an Advertiser Accounts database 69, which maintainsthe advertiser's account information.

If the mobile user opts to respond to the generated advertisement (e.g.,by redeeming a coupon), a mobile-initiated SMS message is generated andtransmitted via the cell control and MTSO to the Consumer ResponseProcessor 70. This is then forwarded to the CouponAcknowledgement/Delivery database 71 to notify the advertiser. Asexplained in greater detail in the next section, the system can alsonotify the MIN database 67 to keep track of the mobile user's interestsand demographics.

In the example provided in FIG. 6, advertisers Aldo Pizza 72 a, Jane'sBoutique 72 b, and Bob's Oil & Gas 72 c can access the advertisingsystem via respective HTTP servers 73 a, 73 b, and 73 c. The advertisersreceive web pages over the Internet 74 via the advertising system HTTPserver 75. The server 75 contains graphical interface software forgenerating a web page to provide a user interface to information in theAdvertiser Accounts database 69 and the Advertisements Queue 65.Entering the advertiser's username and password or other accountinformation, the advertiser can access account information, generate oredit advertisement requests through Advertiser Accounts DB 69, and canreceive coupon redemption notifications through database 71.

IV. Consumer Interface

In the example provided in FIG. 6, the mobile subscriber is able toblock the transmission of messages if desired. In a further embodiment,the mobile subscriber can also register with the advertisement system toprovide consumer interest and demographics information. In this manner,the mobile subscriber will receive advertisements concerning productsand services that are of particular interest to the subscriber. As willnow be described with reference to FIG. 7, by registering thesubscriber's interests in a separate database system, the system canprovide for targeted advertisements based upon both location andsubscriber preferences.

Mobile subscribers 76A, 76B, and 76C can each log into the advertisementsystem to access their respective accounts and provide advertisementpreferences information to receive targeted advertising. By logging intothe advertisement system website through maintained on http server 75,connecting through respective http servers 77A, 77B, and 77C, and viathe Internet 74, the mobile subscribers can enter a unique username/password or other account information to access the personalizedaccount. MIN Subscription Processor 78 guides the user interface. If thesubscriber chooses to add or edit the subscriber's preferredadvertisement choices and preferences, the Subscription Processor 78receives interview questions from Interview database 79. The subscribermay be asked questions concerning gender, age, and occupation, andtopics such as hobbies, food preferences, clothing, sports activities,home ownership, etc. For each response to a question, an appropriatedemographic code, categorized in the Demographic Codes database 80, isstored in the subscriber's profile in MIN Profile Database 82. Thesubscriber may also be asked to identify or choose from a list ofadvertisers from which the subscriber would like to receive information.Likewise, the subscriber may also choose from a list of advertisers fromwhich the subscriber would prefer to block advertisement information.The current list of advertisers who have registered with the system ismaintained in Advertiser List database 81.

As described above with reference to the advertiser-based internetwebsite, the subscriber can also utilize the website to perform commonlyknown e-commerce tasks, such as accessing the subscriber's wirelesscommunications account or processing payment information, through MINAccount Information database 83. In a further embodiment, theadvertisement system may provide free services or reduced billings as anincentive for the subscriber to participate in the advertising program.In such case, the MIN Subscription Processor 78 credits the subscriber'saccount in the MIN Account Information database 83.

Upon receiving and maintaining demographics codes that are associatedwith particular subscribers, the advertisement system can then utilizethis information when allocating which advertisements are to transmittedto mobiles. Referring to both FIGS. 6 and 7, when registrationinformation is detected in Detector 62 and the Registration MessagingProcessor 63 is selecting an advertisement to transmit to the registeredmobile from the Advertisement Queue 65, the Messaging Processor 63 alsoreceives a set of demographics codes from the MIN Profile Database 82that are associated with the mobile subscriber's preferences. If thedemographics codes associated with a potential advertisement message donot correlate with the subscriber's interests, the Messaging Processor63 reviews the next potential advertisement message from theAdvertisement Queue 65. Before an advertisement is selected fortransmission, the Registration Messaging Processor 63 also reviews theMIN Advertisement History database 84 (which is updated via theAcknowledgement Processor 68), to ensure that the subscriber is notcontinually receiving the same advertisement information.

Accordingly, the above-provided method and system enables consumers toreceive personalized, targeted advertisement information or coupons overa wireless communications device as the device registers in certaincellular regions. Businesses are able to generate advertisements orcoupons that are transmitted only to persons who are physically locatedwithin a reasonable vicinity of the business. Businesses can also sendadvertisements to mobile subscribers according to the subscribers'interests and buying habits and tastes, in order to generate moreeffective advertising. The advertising can be personalized and easilycustomized, edited, and scheduled.

The present invention is not limited to the transmission of short textmessages to cellular telephones. The method and system for providingtargeted advertising may be utilized with devices such as interactivepagers, personal digital assistants, vehicle or personal navigationalsystems, etc. The wireless devices may be mobile, handheld units, orfixed units within automobiles or other types of personal transportationvehicles, or within buses, airplanes, or other public transportationsystems. As described above, the advertising media may consist of shorttext messages, graphics, audio or speech messages, video, or acombination of any of the above.

Further, it is not required to receive a mobile's location informationvia registration data. Any other means of identifying locationinformation, such as through global satellite positions, cell signaltriangulation, etc., are foreseen as being in the scope of the presentinvention. It is also not required to determine which advertisements areto be transmitted to which mobiles based upon the mobiles' locations.For example, as also described above, advertisements can be associatedwith demographics, and can be transmitted to mobiles whose users haveindicated their preferences to receive advertisements associated withthose demographics.

The foregoing disclosure of embodiments of the present invention hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formsdisclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodimentsdescribed herein will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art inlight of the above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to bedefined only by the claims appended hereto, and by their equivalents.

1. A method for transmitting messages over a wireless network towireless communications devices, comprising: storing a plurality ofmessages in a database, wherein each stored message is associated withone or more locations, the plurality of messages stored in the databaseincluding advertising information sponsored by a respective advertiserhaving a place of business within a proximity of the location associatedwith the message; detecting location information of a wirelesscommunications device; selecting a message in the database associatedwith the detected location; storing the messages to be transmitted tothe wireless communications devices in a pending database; transmittingthe message stored in the pending database over a forward controlchannel to the wireless communications device; receiving anacknowledgement from the wireless communications device of receipt ofthe transmitted message over a reverse control channel; deleting thetransmitted message from the pending database; and storing aconfirmation of the transmitted message in an account associated withthe respective advertiser sponsoring the message.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein each wireless communications device is associated in thedatabase with a field indicating whether to block the transmission ofmessages to the wireless communications device so that messages that areassociated in the database with a field indicating to block thetransmission of messages are not transmitted to the wirelesscommunications devices.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the messageincludes one or more of text, video, graphics, or audio information. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications device is acellular telephone, interactive pager, networked personal digitalassistant, or automotive navigational system.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein each of the messages stored in the database is also associatedwith one or more demographic codes, each wireless communications deviceoperating in the wireless network is associated with one moredemographic codes, and wherein the message selected to be transmitted isassociated with at least one demographic code associated with theidentified wireless communications device in addition to beingassociated with the detected location.
 6. A method for transmittingadvertisements over wireless networks to wireless communicationsdevices, comprising: storing a plurality of advertisements in anadvertisements database, wherein each advertisement is requested to betransmitted to wireless communications devices by a respectiveadvertiser, and each advertisement is associated with one or morelocations and one or more category codes; storing information pertainingto a plurality of wireless communications devices in a devices database,wherein each wireless communications device is associated withidentification data and one or more category codes; storing in anadvertisers database a list of advertisers requesting transmission ofadvertisements stored in the advertisements database, wherein eachadvertiser is associated with advertiser account information; detectingthe presence of the wireless communications device in a location;detecting an identification of the wireless communications device;selecting an advertisement in the database associated with the detectedlocation and associated with at least one category code associated withthe wireless communications device in the devices database; storing theselected advertisement to be transmitted wireless communication devicesin a pending database; transmitting the selected advertisement to thewireless communications devices over a forward control channel;receiving an acknowledgement from the wireless communications device ofreceipt of the selected advertisement over a reverse control channel;deleting the transmitted, selected advertisement from the pendingdatabase; and storing a confirmation of the transmitted, selectedadvertisement in the associated advertiser account information.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, further comprising: updating the advertiser accountinformation of the advertiser requesting transmission of the selectedadvertisement.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein advertisers access theadvertisers database to add or edit requests to transmit advertisementsthrough an Internet web page.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein users ofwireless communications devices access the devices database to selectfrom one or more category codes that correspond to the users'preferences for receiving advertisements.
 10. The method of claim 6,wherein the advertisements database is automatically created fromrequests to transmit advertisements stored in the advertisers database.11. The method of claim 6, wherein the advertisements include coupons tobe redeemed with the respective advertiser.
 12. A method fortransmitting advertisements over a wireless network to wirelesscommunications devices, the wireless network in communication with anadvertisements database including a plurality of advertisements and ausers database including identification data of a plurality of wirelesscommunications devices, and wherein the advertisements and theidentification data are each associated with at least one category code,said method comprising: detecting identification information of awireless communications device operating in the wireless network;selecting an advertisement in the database associated with at least onecategory code that is associated with the wireless communications devicein the users database; storing the advertisement to be transmitted tothe wireless communications device in a pending database; transmittingthe advertisement stored in the pending database over a forward controlchannel to the wireless communications device; receiving anacknowledgement from the wireless communications device of receipt ofthe transmitted advertisement over a reverse control channel; deletingthe transmitted advertisement from the pending database; and storing aconfirmation of the transmitted advertisement in an account associatedwith an advertiser sponsoring the advertisement.
 13. The method of claim12, wherein the category code indicates a category pertaining to aproduct or service associated with a respective advertisement.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the one or more category codes associatedwith wireless communications devices indicates users' preferences inreceiving advertisements.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein thecategory code indicates a category pertaining to a time period, whereindifferent advertisers prefer to have advertisements transmitted duringdifferent particular time periods, and wherein different users prefer tohave advertisements transmitted during different particular timeperiods.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless networkfurther in communication with an advertisers database including accountinformation of advertisers sponsoring advertisements in theadvertisements database, the method further comprising: receiving aresponse from the wireless communications device; and providingnotification of the response to the advertiser sponsoring thetransmitted advertisement.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein theadvertisement is a coupon, and the response is a notification to redeemthe coupon.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the wirelesscommunications device is operating on the wireless network in a celllocation that is associated with the selected advertisement.
 19. Amethod for transmitting advertisement coupons over a wireless network towireless communications devices, the wireless network in communicationwith an advertisements database including a plurality of advertisementcoupons and a users database including identification data of aplurality of wireless communications devices, wherein the advertisementcoupons are associated with respective advertisers, said methodcomprising: detecting identification information of a wirelesscommunications device operating in the wireless network; storingadvertisement coupons to be transmitted to the wireless communicationsdevice in a pending database; transmitting an advertisement couponstored in the pending database over a forward control channel to thewireless communications device; receiving an acknowledgement from thewireless communications device of receipt of the transmittedadvertisement coupon over a reverse control channel; deleting thetransmitted advertisement coupon from the pending database; storing aconfirmation of the transmitted advertisement coupon in an accountassociated with the respective advertiser sponsoring the advertisementcoupon.